Quite unintentionally, I offended one leading U.K. champion exhibitor recently. It all happened like this:
One evening I received a phone call from this Champion exhibitor (I will not mention his name in, case I offend him even more!) He had problems. Yes, very big problems. He was getting nothing but clear eggs from his 40+ pairs. He was getting trouble galore with his hens and a number had died. He felt that the birds he had bought in were the reason. They had to be infertile. He had also tried changing the diet as recommended by one breeder, but this was useless. He wanted to know if other breeders, who had bought birds from the same source as himself were getting problems.
I told him I had no idea who had bought birds from the same source as himself, but I know the breeder very well and he gets no trouble breeding year after year and has been at the top for ten years. If the birds breed for him why don’t they breed for you was one question I asked. "Do you really think that it is the birds which are at fault and not yourself?" was the follow-up question. Oh No! He was experienced and knew what he was doing. He had no trouble breeding four years ago and his birds were amongst the best in the U.K.
I know this Champion likes to try any new product which comes on to the market be it a supplement or a prevent-ion for possible diseases.
I suggested he discontinue using the supplements and especially these miracle preventative medicines. He disagreed entirely. He maintained they were a must and believe it or not he was also using a soft-food made up of hard boiled eggs, a tablespoonful of two German powders (because he had heard Jo Mannes was using it years ago); a tablespoonful of powdered Yeast; and a handful of powdered dog biscuits sprinkled over the mixture. I told him I would throw the lot away and just give the eggs mixed with fresh grated carrots.
He asked me if I gave my birds fish oil and I had to reply that I have not used that for over 40 years. He used it alternatively with Wheat Germ Oil over the seed. He also gave sprouted seed (Oats and Mung beans).
After hearing all this I exclaimed "God help the birds" and he just didn’t like hearing that.
Now it came to the birds. We know that judges like birds which have wide brows, deep masks, plenty of feather and as big as possible. That’s the type that wins on the show bench. And that is what breeders aim to breed. Our Champion friend is in that category and I know he pairs buff to buff. Some will contend there is nothing wrong in pairing buff to buff or wide brow birds to wide brow birds. Neither theory works, in my view. It might on some rare occasions, work once, but generally, I believe it does not.
The wide brow, buff birds are for exhibition. It’s their blood relations which look so disappointing that seem to produce the future exhibition bird.
Our Champion paired up early in December (not a good month for me). I usually put half a dozen or so pairs up earlier just to keep my interest going, but the pairing-up proper is left until I see the first swallow. I get far more enjoyment from my birds that way.
But what really annoyed our Champion was my suggestion that he tries another form of breeding. He had already told me that more than a dozen of his best pairs had failed to breed last year and he had tried them again this year. They had all clear eggs. I suggested he moves them into a flight (which he told me he had) and in the Spring put in more nest boxes than he has pairs and let them pair up themselves on a colony system. He thought I was mad and despite trying to explain that I was only suggesting he leaves things to Nature to see if the birds are fertile or not, he disagreed and said, "Who the heck do you think would buy those mongrels?"
© Gwyn Evans 1999
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